A Duel of Legends
by Joshabi
Summary: In a recovering Orre region, the world converges on a stadium for a grand fight. But behind the huge fights and flashy events, there's something brewing. Something incredible...
1. Prologue

A Duel of Legends  
Prologue: So Here's How it Went Down

OK then, having renamed and make a few edits to this story, I hopefully won't get chewed up by the admins. AGAIN.  
No OCs being accepted. Probably ever.

* * *

"Darkrai! Be careful!"

"I am being careful Cress! This is not bewoAH!  
"Phew!"  
Darkrai stepped down from the balcony and wiped his forehead.  
"Maybe not."

Cresselia sighed at her 'brother' and sat down on a bench.  
"It was bad enough that you got us grounded, but if you muck up one more time I swear-"

"Relax! I promise I will not do anything stupid for the next hour."  
Darkrai walked over and sat down next to Cresselia, stretching his arms.  
"Besides, what can I do wrong?"

"Is that a trick question?"

Both of the living legends had shed their normal forms for those of unusual humans. Darkrai's hair stuck up like the Eiffel tower, and a red scarf around the lower half of his face hid his mouth and nose from view, but aside from that wore basic human clothing. Cresselia wore a long flowing ball gown that glittered with sequins and jewels, and had long blonde hair.

But oh god, their eyes. Legendaries could never hide their eyes, and while Cresselia had calming eyes that could quiet the scared in moments, Darkrai had ones that disturbed the most stoic of men. Embodiment of nightmares indeed.

But the two were strong friends. They had to be, the amount that Darkrai got into trouble.  
He groaned and got up, walking back over to the handrail at the edge of the balcony. Cresselia looked up at the glass dome that served as a roof.  
"Ten minutes."

"Damnit Cress, the lack of stuff to do is too BOOORING!" Darkrai yelled, jumping up onto the balcony. He looked down at the globe below him, suspended by unknowable forces.

It was called the Globe of Humanity, and it kept the pokemon species inside from mixing with the last dregs of humanity, which were kept in varying balls depending on numerous things. Arceus was very set in his ways, which explained why he hadn't just moved them apart. He was proud of the pokemon, after all. Darkrai reached up to touch one of the orbs, suspended _just a little bit out of reach, he just needed to lean out a little bit-_

"Darkrai, look out!"  
Cresselia ran over to the tottering Legendary, reaching out to grab the back of his coat before he-

Darkrai leant too far. He yelled as he slipped past the point of no return, and grabbed two of the orbs to try and hold himself up, only for them to fall down onto the Globe below him as he lost grip. Three of the orbs fell as he flailed about, finally becoming a pokemon again as-

*Crack! Crunch! Smash!*

Both looked down in horror as cracks appeared in the globe, some of the souls inside leaking in. Darkrai panicked and flew down, only widening the gap as he tried to gather up the souls before-

**And what have you two done this time?**

Cresselia stood with her back against the balcony as Arceus became on the seat the pair had been perched on a few seconds ago. He wore a white suit with yellow trims, and a cane with his ring on the top rested in the crook of his arm. He raised a greying eyebrow, shades hiding his eyes.

Both legendaries had no words to explain what went on. Mew, as herself, appeared next to Darkrai.  
"Ooooh, you two just mucked up big time!"

**Mew, not now.  
**Arceus sighed and was next to Cresselia, leaning over the balcony.  
**I will not lie. I had been hoping one of you two would manage this. I just didn't think it would be that few orbs.**

"Three! I broke three orbs! Oh Arceus I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry" Darkrai broke down into a sobbing fit. Mew hugged him and teleported both of them back onto the bench. Arceus looked around at him.

**No, this is not a bad thing Darkrai.**

"It's not?" Cresselia asked, touching Arceus' arm "But the humans-"

**The humans are about to find that one Natural Harmonia Gropius is going to become a far more influential politician, and some people may find themselves in a bit of a bind... But they'll pull through. **Arceus replied, gently brushing Cresselia's hand away. **Now if you don't mind I have a trio to ground. I do not have the inclination to fix time again if the three break it.**

Arceus wasn't. Mew looked around and sighed.  
"And that's that. Hey, I'm gonna go make a new pokemon, you two wanna come?"

"Why not," Cesselia sighed, "It's not like we'll get Darkrai's mind off the issue if we don't."

"The children..."

"Yeah yeah, you got the children, big deal. We can deal with any issues later, this'll just make the next coupla years cooler." Mew waved a paw. "Come on, I have boredom to get rid of."

* * *

"Afternoon Mr Verrich!"

"Ah, Michael, I had a feeling it was you. How do you feel?"

"Very good myself. How about you?"

"Oh, not too bad, not too bad at all. It's always good to see you here too, helps me feel more connected than just my son coming."  
Mr Verrich smiled at the child who had help bring him to his senses some years ago. Michael wore the snag machine, a reassuring weight on his shoulders for years now, and his Eevee leapt up onto his lap to nuzzle the ex-Cipher boss. Mr Verrich laughed.  
"And a pleasure to see you too Eevee! My word, have you still not evolved him?"

"We're... Waiting for the right time." Michael replied. He held up the thunderstone briefly, then smiled. "We've gone far like this, and we're going to go further like this."

"A worthy sentiment indeed. But tell me, what has been going on in the outside world as of late?"

"Well, aside from Jovi being Jovi, nothing special at the lab. But, uh I think I heard something about an explosion somewhere on the way in. *cough*"

"Are you OK?" Mr Verrich looked at Michael, concerned.

" It'll probably pass, I've been through worse. *cough cough* Ah, Gonzap, of Team Snaggem? He tried to get hold of, *cough cough*, sorry Mr Verrich, *cough cough cough*, I don't feel so good all of a sudden" In a sudden fit, Michael bent over double, coughing violently "What in the *COUGH COUGH!*...augh."  
Michael fainted. Mr Verrich stood up and checked the boys pulse.

"Arceus' name, he's going like he's running! Officer! We need medical support!"  
One of the guards burst in and ran over to check Michael.

"Please stand back Mr Verrich... He's going to need medical support."

"What?!"

"GET ME A STRETCHER, THIS KID NEEDS A DOCTOR!"

Mr Verrich sat back, face going pale, as the guards rushed in to help the young hero.  
"Oh Arceus, don't let the boy die."

* * *

"...Can hear me, move your arm."

"My wha?"

"Michael, if you can hear me, move your arm."

"Like this?"

"Yes, that's brilliant. How are you feeling?"

"My chest and butt both hurt and I have a headache. What's going on?"  
Michael struggled his eyes open and tried to sit up. A hand, attached to an arm, attached to a doctor, pushed him gently down again.

"I need you to stay like that for a minute. You've only been unconscious for about two hours, but... well, you may be shocked when you see yourself. We still need to ask you some questions."

"...OK..."

"What is your name?"

"...Michael?"

"You sure?"

"Of course I'm sure, it was a stupid question!"

"What day is it?"

"I think it's Wednesday."

"Where were you and what were you doing when you fell unconscious?"

"I was at the Mountain Base Prison seeing Mr Verrich."

"OK, you can get up now."

Michael struggled up, looking around. He was in a hospital room, the doctor was standing by his bed, he had heart-rate monitors all over him and-  
"OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH MY BODY?!"

"Yes, about that..."  
The doctor shuffled around nervously.  
"You seem to have inherited some Eevee characteristics... It's happening all over the world, and your sister-"

"MY SISTER'S PART EEVEE?!"

"Ah, no, that let me rephrase that. She's sharing the genetics of a... I believe it was a Plusle. Similar things are happening to children all over."

Michael swung his legs over the side of the bed and got up, pulling off the heart rate monitor.. "I need to go see her. Right now."

"I would rather-"

"Please. She's my sister. I need to be there." Michael gave the doctor a forlorn look. He sighed.

"All right. You've been steady at normal for the last quarter hour, I think I can allow it. Just get dressed first."

* * *

As Michael stepped out of the door, Eevee leapt into his arms.

"_Michael! You're OK!"_

"Hardly Ok, I've been-  
"I can understand you!"

"_Jovi can understand me now too. And the others. Delcatty's beginning to panic, she's with your Mum in Jovi's room."_

"Right. Lead the way."

Michael got a few odd looks as he traversed the corridor. As he opened the door, Delcatty charged into his legs, knocking him off balance.  
"Woah! Easy girl!"

"Michael!"

Jovi quickly glomped into his chest, making him fall over.  
"Argh! Jovi!"

"Big brother! You're OK! I thought... I thought... *Sniff* Waaahhh!"

"Oh, Jovi... There there..."

"Are you both OK?"  
Michael looked up at his mum, who smiled as she crouched down to hug them both.

Michael sighed, sitting up and tightly hugging his family.  
"We'll be fine. We just need to stick together, that's all.  
"Through thick and thin.

"I know we can do it."

* * *

:Seven Years Later:  
In a Small Town to the South-West of Orre...

"Good morning!"

"Mornin' kid!"

A Lampent Gijinka sat on a wall on the edge of his town. He waved to people as they went by, offering greetings and the occasional chance of help. A teenage girl ran up to him, followed by her Purrloin.  
"Charon!"

"Morning Breeze!

The girl stopped by the wall and pulled herself up, panting slightly.  
"Did you forget?"

"Forget what?"

Breeze groaned.  
"The ship! The cruise ship that's bringing all the people over from the other regions to compete in that big tourney! It docks today!"

"It does? You're right, it does! Let's hurry!"

Charon leapt off the wall, and the Purrloin hooked itself to the back of his top.  
_"You got anything good planned?"_

"Too big a ship. Might see some gijinka, that'd be cool!"

"_You are a gijinka."_

"Yeah, but no two gijinka are the same. That makes seeing others all the more awesome!"

Charon's passenger sighed. Breeze began to catch up to Charon, managing to keep up despite the run she'd had to do earlier.

Charon was a Lampent Gijinka. He had solid yellow eyes, a light blue head and chest, and black arms, legs, hands, and everything else. He had an old fashioned, rusty iron brazier slung on his back, and a side-slung bag. He was wearing a dark blue top and jeans, with black trainers.  
And he only had three fingers on each hand, which were both flat.

Breeze was a normal human. She was pretty, but not a stunning room turner, and her brown eyes and hair were nothing special either. She wore a red t-shirt and shorts, with a logo emblazoned over where her heart was.  
Her Purrloin insisted her name was Claws, but everyone in town called her Snuggles. She wasn't much of a fighter, and was usually extremely lazy, if fiercely loyal.

The trio managed to reach the port about a minute before the ship docked. Charon looked up at the huge ship and grinned.  
"I hope everyone knows what they're doing! This tournament outta be good!"

* * *

_Many hundreds of years ago, Orre was filled with rare and incredible Pokemon. Humans lived in patches of green land or as travellers, but none were more content than those from Agate Village. All worshipped the Legends, and all were happy.  
But Groudon came to realise that humans were beginning to shun the desert. At first it was small groups, but more people began to leave the sands for the water and grass of other places.  
Groudon rebelled.  
The desert shifted, trapping humans in valleys formed of the gods might. Sandstorms blew through the towns, and rather than make people realise what they had done wrong, Groudon merely made them sad, worried.  
Or angry.  
The people of Agate saw the land change around them. Furious with what Groudon had done, they turned to Celebi for the other legends advice and help. And Celebi turned into itself, and shut away its heart. No longer feeling fear, Celebi confronted Groudon and managed to beat the ground type into submission. Satisfied, Celebi returned to Agate Village, watching the sands return to normal around it.  
But Celebi lost more than its fear.  
When the people and Pokemon gave Celebi no material gain, it decided it wanted the town for itself, and turned a small tree at the top of the village into a towering monster, draining the rest of the village of life. Horrified, the villagers tried to fight. But they lost.  
One girl walked to the shrine in Celebi's forest, and using a gift Celebi had given to the village managed to call it there. And she asked Celebi why it was acting that way.  
"Because that is how a hero can act."_

"_No! Heroes are always kind and won't do anything to hurt the innocent!"_

"_How do you know? You've never met a hero."_

"_I... I met you... Before..."  
Celebi thought. Even though it should have been able to, Celebi couldn't find it's memories. It called itself from the past. To find its own memories.  
Celebi unlocked the door to its heart. And all the evil, all the misdeeds, all the mistakes, all of them were undone. And Celebi swore to help any who came to it who became the same as it had become._

_Hundreds of years later, a boy named Wes caught a Makuhita..._


	2. Burnt Up

A Duel of Legends  
Chapter 1: Burnt Up

This just helps establish a little bit about the subplots, introduce one or two other peoples OCs, and expands a bit on the tournament itself. Hopefully I can balance the plots around each-other...

Oh, and most of the vaguely described OCs don't exist for much more than space fillers. Comedy and the like.

* * *

Charon's brazier was forced into the ground with a satisfying *thunk*. He leant over the side of the town's pier, and watched as Snuggles tried to catch the various fish with his paws.  
_"Come on little ones, I have food for you!"_

"Oh, give up you stupid cat, there's no way they're going to get tricked like that."

"_I can try!"  
_One of the Magikarp swam close to the bar Snuggles had been perched on, and the Purrloin reached out to grab it.  
A Chinchou sparked the Pokémon's arse from behind as he leant over, shocking him into the water. He began splashing around like a madman.  
_"Argh! It's wet! F*blub* electric type!"_

Charon began laughing over the railings, slumping down in hysterics as the angry shouts of the Purrloin reached him from below. A light Pound on his side alerted him to the unfortunate Pokémon's return.

"_You are such an arsehole."_

"Hehe... Hehe... Well... Ha... If you're gonna get wet... May as well do it properly... Hoo boy..."

Charon got a wet slap to the face with a tail.  
_"Jerk."_

"Uh, are you two partners then?"

Charon looked up to see someone standing up. A Luxio Gijinka maybe?  
"Oh, no, he's my friend's Pokemon. He just enjoys humiliating himself down here."

"_Screw you."_

"Right..."  
The Gijinka sat down on a bench a few meters away, folding his arms and closing his eyes.  
"I'm Leo. Luxray Gijinka."

Charon nodded, pulling his brazier out of the gap between the planks.  
"Charon Burn, Lampent Gijinka. Nice to meet you. This soggy guy is Snuggles the Purrloin."

Leo chuckled "Nice. So where did you come from anyway?"

Charon spread his arms wide "Right here! This is my home town, so..."

"Huh. You entering the tournament?"

"Yep! Not sure whether to do single or do double with my friend though."

Snuggles shook himself off and began preening himself _"I won't be fighting."_

"He's over there!"

Charon groaned and crouched down, Snuggles dropping the task and leaping onto his back. Leo opened one eye and sat up slightly.  
Three humans, all dressed the same, walked up to the Gijinka on the bench. The frightening appearance was lessened by the pink tissue one of them held to his face, which was darker in some places than others. Leo's eyes widened in recognition.  
"Oh."

"Yeah. Oh. So, you feel so cocky now, chump?"

Leo stood up, holding his hands up "Look, I'm sorry. I got angry and overreacted, that's all."

"That isn't good enough."  
Charon quietly put down Snuggles and began walking around behind the trio.  
"You hurt one of us. In our territory. That ain't right. Certainly not from some fuckin' Gijinka." The thug spat the word "I don't take that."  
A Pokeball appeared in his hands, and he let out a Quagsire. It saw Leo and took an offensive stance.  
"How'd you like getting your arse handed to you by-"

"Good evening Doug."

"Shit!"  
The trio span around to see Charon standing behind them. The Quagsire ignored him and welled up a Mud Shot in its mouth. Leo sprang up and leapt over the ground-type's head flattening it with his hand, barrelling into the trio's back, their combined bulk somehow stopping him. The Mud Shot hit him from behind.  
"Charon you little rat, I'm gonna pummel you for what you're doing to Dave!"

"I'd be interested to see how that goes." The smaller Gijinka talked quietly, igniting the Quagsire with a Will-o-Wisp as he spoke. His torch flared, making the three step back slightly.

"You wouldn't dare do that to us. Not with someone watching."

"Another Gijinka? With your track record, it'll be counted as self defence."  
A second one released a Carvanha.

"You two can't deal with us, and you know it."

Charon smiled, and suddenly the brazier flared up, nearly burning the trio as they dived out of the way. Leo used the advantage to get away from Quagmire, launching into Carvanha with Wild Charge. The fish was sent flying backwards into the ground. The gang members turned around and saw the situation their two Pokemon were in.  
"Quagsire, use Muddy Water!"

Charon took a spray of dirty water to the face. He snarled and pointed the brazier at Quagsire.  
"Hex!"

Quagsire recognised the tactic, but black energy closed down on him from all directions and crushed down on him. He wailed as he took a huge amount of damage from it.  
Leo recovered from the recoil of his last attack and shook himself. A huge amount of electricity span off, impacting Carvanha badly but leaving Quagsire fine. Already overpowered, Carvanha fainted.

"Damnit! Doug, the bastard beat my 'Mon!"

"Right! Quagsire, return!"  
The two gang members called their pokemon back, drawing Leo's attention back to them. All three of them nodded at each other, reached into their pockets...

And chucked three Poke Dolls, one each to the two Gijinka and Snuggles, running at full pelt down the road. Leo and Snuggles began lining up for pounces on theirs, while Charon began juggling his. After a few minutes of this they realised they'd been duped, and stopped. Charon chucked his over the side.  
"Gets me every time."

Leo began tearing his apart with his hands and teeth, ignoring the looks he was getting from a few onlookers. Snuggles copied Charon.  
_"I hope that didn't take us too long."_

"Pfth. Those guys are arseholes. Who are they?"

"They're just thugs who say they're a part of 'Purest Humanity*'" Charon explained.

"And they're allowed to live here?"

"Chief knows all the members within five miles and he's a dab hand at Pokemon battles too. We took a long time compared to his partners. His girlfriend's a pretty strong willed person too."

"_Eh hem."_  
Both gijinka turned to Snuggles, who had a bit of fur in his mouth.  
_"I don't mean to sound rude, but aren't the people for the tournament supposed to be somewhere?"_

Charon looked around for the stadium's huge clock and gasped.  
"Damn, he's right! See ya Snuggs!" The Lampent Gijinka ran off.

Leo looked down at Snuggles. "Snuggs? Really?"

"_Small, but with claws that leave you weeping for your mother. Now go away, I have food to get."_

Leo sighed and shrugged, walking away slowly. Snuggles watched him leave carefully...  
And returned to his fishing attempts.

* * *

"Attention! Can I have everyone listening to me please?  
"That means everyone. Including you Little Miss Cute Charm. Yeah, you, the Lopunny Gijinka with the low cut top. And put on a jacket, there are kids in here."  
Charon dragged his finger across the mic to create a horrible screeching sound, making the bunny girl wince.  
"You listening now? Jacket. On. Body. There we go, that wasn't so hard."  
Charon stood in front of a crowd of fighters in the basement of the stadium. He pulled a piece of paper out from his bag and waved it in the air.  
"I'm supposed to read word-for-word from this for the exact rules, but that's boring. Pay attention, I may not have time to answer questions or go over things.  
"You all entered having submitted your level. This is more to establish how experienced you are in general, not to group you up. Everyone fights at equivalent thirty. Tough on those of you who need pure power to win.  
"You're either fighting in double or single. Two matches of each group will b held at the same time, and DROP THE POKEBALL BEFORE I GET YOU DISQUALIFIED!"  
A trainer carefully put the Pokeball he'd been about to touch to the Lopunny's back into his pocket. She winked at him, making him blush.  
"As I was saying, two of each type of match at once. You only lose double if both partners faint, naturally, and if a move from one match affects another match healing items or whatever will be distributed to account for the damage, and the match put on hold for a few seconds.  
"The stadium will change. There are seventeen possible stadiums for you to fight in, decided on by the fighter with the 'Home Advantage'. Some of those places are brutal – I'll mention the lava stage and say no more.  
"It is also possible for you to use items. You will get a Wonder Launcher which functions by I SAID TO PUT THE JACKET ON TO THE LOPUNNY THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN IGNORE IT EITHER oh, you're a dude. Sorry, it's hard to tell from here."  
A Glaceon Gijinka gave Charon the middle finger as he removed his coat, folding it with one arm. Various people laughed at the slip up.  
"Yeah, I know, sorry. Uh... Wonder Launcher, right. The Wonder Launcher accumulates power over time, which can be converted into items of many types, up to and including revives. They can be used as you need them, but you have to signal for it to be activated.  
"Also, your battle will be monitored for cheating as it goes on. Each thing you do WILL be seen and noted, then if it is decided it breaks the rules you will be disqualified. Uh, and..."  
Charon checked the piece of paper.  
"Oh yeah! The judges will be famous faces, and I'm not MCing. Bribers may find that they have a little more resistance than they expected. Any questions?"

One trainer held up her hand. A bug of some sort scuttled around her arm, but Charon didn't see it. He pointed to her with his brazier.  
"Where are we staying?"

"The stadium has an accommodation area and dining area. Those who don't fancy the two-person rooms may wish to use one of the local hotels, most of which still have a few rooms free. Failing that, there's always the Pokemon Center."

"What's the stadiums policies on room swapping?"

"If you arrange it and tell someone you're doing it, with proof, it's all good."

"What about the more... Adult activities?"

Charon looked at the person who'd spoken. They seemed innocent enough...  
"Within the law... Yes... In private..."

"Jovi wants to know if there's anything to do when we're not battling!"

Charon looked through the crowd. Jovi began bouncing to get his attention, waving. He waved back.  
"Hey Jovi. No, there's nothing to do in the stadium unless you want to browse the database. Old battles, check data about areas, though there is a TV in each of your rooms."

"Can I go out with you?"

The crowd roared in laughter. Charon looked through and saw a blushing Mismagius Gijinka, who looked down at the ground. He noticed Breeze glaring at the girl.  
"I'm gonna stay single for a while. Maybe if you ask later..."

The sound of loud music began to seep though. Charon banged his brazier on the floor.  
"That's the sign! Everybody into two separate lines for the Opening Ceremony! Things are about to reach awesome levels!"

* * *

*An Anti-Gijinka terrorist group, who are only slowly losing steam. Their leader is supposed to be an Ex-Champion no less...

* * *

_In an old house, on the edge of a town in the desolate Orre region, five humans confronted a young gijinka.  
Four of them avoided the ghosts. But only three left the house of their own choice..._


	3. Voice of a Legend

Tournament of the Ages  
Chapter 2: Voice of a Legend

Not going to upload the next chapter for a bit. That will actually start the tournament.  
And now for something slightly different.

* * *

"Have you seen Darkrai recently Dialga?"

"Not within ten minutes either side of this conversation. Sorry Cresselia."

Shimmying around the timepiece-laden legendary, Cresselia hurried through the giant hall that made up the Hall of Origins and tried to find the way into Arceus' personal chamber. The door that should have been up a long flight of stairs... Wasn't. And neither were the stairs. Either someone was getting grilled, or Arceus was occupied.

"Everybody through!"  
As one body, the legendaries moved towards the doors along the walls, each one fading to nought as they walked past. Cresselia should have been in the same area as Darkrai, but the dark type was nowhere to be seen.

**Cresselia, you have a job to do.**

"Argh!"  
Cresselia turned around at the sound of the creator, who was standing impassively next to what a human would call a bed.

**Go down into Orre and look for a man named Ardos. He's just south of the border. Go as a pokemon first, but be careful. Darkrai will meet you in Gaton Port, which is to the north of where you need to go. **

"And I have to go why?"

**Darkrai. However Mew is allowed to come with you. She will be going as a young human girl.**

"Great. OK. I'll get right to it."

Arceus nodded and was not where he had been. Cresselia sighed and took a more modern human look, grabbing a bag as she went. Opening her door, which had turned up again, she stepped out into Gaton Port. Mew appeared a few feet away, holding her own bag and looking around.  
"Soooo, you gonna get started on those nightmares or what?"

* * *

Five hours later, Cresselia, Darkrai and Mew set off for the south border of Orre, using an old car that someone had left in a state of total disrepair. Mew bounced on the back, watching the world zoom by, as Darkrai carefully negotiated the rock-strewn desert. Eyes covered by goggles, the three drove ceaselessly through the darkening land, aiming to reach their destination as fast as possible.  
"STOOOOOOP!"  
Darkrai slammed on the breaks, Mew giggling as she flew overhead and landed in the loose sand. She stood up and began running off.  
"I've just seen something really neat!"

Trailing after her, Cresselia looked around for the interesting thing. She tripped.  
"What the-"  
Nursing a hurt ankle, she turned around. A giant iron girder met her gaze.  
"Oh sweet Arceus."

"I know! And that's not the best part!"  
Mew pulled Cresselia up, pointing behind them.  
"Look!"

"A ship..."

"Someone put a ship in the desert..."

* * *

_A/N: To really get the feeling, play the SS Libra exploration theme from Pokemon XD. It's this haunting tune that feels lonely and sad, and just feels so... Wow._

* * *

The trio's feet kicked up sand as they walked, alerting various small pokemon to their presence. Cresselia brushed cobwebs away, leading the group slowly up. Darkrai gazed up in wonderment.  
"It's so lonely..."

"This ship... It was very important once." Mew whispered. "It used to take pokemon to their trainers from the other regions.  
"Since the land had no pokemon of its own, it was the only way people could become trainers. But this ship..."

"What about this ship?" Cresselia looked back at the smaller pokemon. She closed her eyes.

"Lugia was forced to abduct it by Cipher."

*Clang!*  
"We're on the SS Libra?!"

Mew nodded, bending down to pick up the torch.  
"Lugia managed to drop the ship in the desert, only for the pokemon to be picked up afterwards while he was being 'fine tuned' by Cipher. No-one ever talks about it, but here..."

Taking the torch back, Cresselia continued on in silence, until the trio reached the top. The bridge loomed up to greet them.  
"What happened to the people who were sailing the ship originally?"  
Mew didn't respond. Cresselia looked up sadly.  
"There's a light on up there!"

Mew grabbed both pokemon by their elbows, only for Darkrai to wrench free and begin running up the stairs. Cresselia followed, hot on his tail.  
"Darkrai, wait!"

Darkrai burst into the bridge and caught the person inside's eye. He fainted.  
"Oops."

Cresselia ran in after him and groaned.  
"Not again!"

* * *

_A/N: You can stop now if you want._

* * *

"Mnahmnah."

"_In a time and a place,  
"You'll see again,  
"So do not cry,  
"Be strong my friend,"_

"Cress, shush, he's waking up!"

"What... Who?"

"My name is Cresselia. Are you OK?"

"Yes... I have just had the strangest dream..."  
The worker opened his eyes. A face which had the most beautiful quality was a little to his left.  
"Are... Are you-"

"No I'm not an angel. They're all such huge jerks it's beyond belief, I swear to Arceus if one of them hits on me ONE MORE-"

"Cress, you're ranting."  
Cresselia blushed and coughed.

"Right, sorry."

"You're... You're Cresselia?"

"It's just the names we use. We don't have any parents to speak of, so..."  
Cresselia bent her head and rubbed her neck.  
"What's your name?"

"Oh! I'm Gary. It's nice to meet you."

Cresselia smiled.  
"Gary's a nice name. This is Mew, sitting down here, while ol' Spooky Blue-Eyes over there is Darkrai."

Mew bounced a bit "Hi!"  
Darkrai didn't say anything.

"Uh, hi."  
Gary looked around.  
"I see you found where I live then."

"Yeah. We saw a light on and found you passed out in here."

"Is see... Thank you."

"Don't mention it!" Mew replied happily. Darkrai coughed.

"Though, we would be grateful if you could lend us a map or point us to Pyrite Town. We're trying to reach a ranch to the south of the border, and we were told that Pyrite would be good place to start."

"And a compass." Mew added. Darkrai nodded in agreement.

"Well, I don't see why not. I don't need them."  
Gary got up and began sifting through a group of files. Cresselia looked out over the broken ship.

"So... How long have you been here?"

"I move around. Pyrite to Phenac. Phenac to Gaton Port. Gaton Port to other regions. Whenever there's a low period for me, I always end up coming back here though. It's so quiet and calm, and the occasional visitor stops me getting bored."

Mew bounced over the human's shoulder, looking through the papers. "Hey, what do these all mean?"

"They're the ships records. Arceus knows why there's maps of the regions here, but you won't be complaining I bet. Here's what you're after."  
Gary held up the map, which Mew took in a psychic grasp, startling the human.  
"You're a Gijinka!?"

"Yep! Mew, would you believe it! Guess I just got lucky!"

"Oh wow. Oh wow, that's incredible. No wonder you three are so close. You've got to look after someone like you. Oh wow."

Mew skipped over to Darkrai, who spread the map out on the table. Gary walked over, put a stone down where he thought they roughly were, and started looking for a portable compass. Darkrai took a pencil from the depths of somewhere and began making marks.  
"... OK, I have it."  
Taking the offered compass, he began writing various things down next to the marks.  
"We can head straight to Pyrite Town, about a two hour journey from here, or we can go to Phenac first. There's also a town just past Pyrite we could go to, which is a bit closer to the border and a little less criminal."

"I suggest going to the town past Pyrite." Gary voiced, "But Pyrite is so much better now I think it's worth the visit if you want to see the ONBS building or just get that bit stronger."

"I think Pyrite sounds good." Cresselia voiced. "I've always wanted to be on TV."

"Yeah, let's go be on TV!" Mew yelled happily, bouncing a bit. Darkrai nodded and went over some of the stuff again.

"OK, Pyrite it is. Would you like to come Gary?"

"Thanks, but no thanks. Too many crooks for me." The worker waved his hand. "But there's nowhere quite like Pyrite for fun. You kids go enjoy yourselves."

"We will! Thank you for the map and compass." Cresselia curtseyed slightly and began walking to the stairs. Mew skipped down happily, as Darkrai quickly folded up the map and went down before Cresselia.

"See you!"

"Bye!"  
Gar waved the children down and walked to the huge window. He sighed.  
"Damn those kids are in for hell."

* * *

"Hey, miss!"  
Cresselia rolled her eyes at the man standing at the town entrance. He rushed over and held out his arm.  
"How about you and me go and see the sights of my pretty little town?"

"Oh please, I'd rather spend the night in a police cell."

"Aw, don't be like that-"

"Do I look like I give a damn how you think I should be? Back off jerk."

The guy's face changed to a snarl.  
"Alright then, I was just trying to be nice, but if you want a-"

Darkrai stepped in, grabbing the seedy character by the shoulders and staring into his eyes. He talked in a hushed tone.  
"Now then, how about you leave my girlfriend alone?"  
The guy gaped.  
"What's your name?"

"Ca-Ca-Ca-Cail..."

"Well then, Cail, I'll make this simple. The only thing that's stopping you from being on the floor sobbing is my girlfriend, right here. Now, I'm not a nice person to be around without her. You understand me?"  
Cail nodded.  
"And you understand that I can be _very _protective of my girlfriend?"  
Another nod.  
"Then if I find out that you've messed with her or her little sister down there, so help me Arceus you will be _righteously _fucked up. Get it?"  
Cail nodded again. Darkrai released him from his grasp and smiled beneath his scarft.  
"Then leave us alone."  
Cail fled, leaving the three to themselves. Mew tugged at the pair's sleeves.

"That white building – let's go there! I think it's the TV building!"

* * *

"Welcome to ONBS! I'm Megg, and this is Shroomish!"

"_Hi!"_

"It's nice to meet you!"

The girl at the desk waved her hand behind her.  
"Feel free to... to *yawn!* Excuse me, to look around. We'll be open for another hour or so, so take your time."

Cresselia laughed.  
"Long day?"

"Up at six, bed at ten. Not that I'm complaining, but it makes me really tired. My brother, on the other hand, doesn't sleep until twelve." Megg rolled her eyes, "But you three go enjoy yourselves. Oh, hey, one of the downstairs studios is in downtime at the moment! Why don't you go look around there?"

"It's soooo white!"

"MEW!"

Darkrai and Cresselia ran off together, chasing after their small companion. All three stopped outside an open door.  
Or, at least, Mew stopped, and the other to fell over.  
"Oh wow, this is really where they record this kind of stuff! Oh wow!  
"Why are you two asleep?"

"Next time, don't stop that way." Darkrai groaned. Mew shrugged and walked into the filming room.

"Watch out for wires!"  
Mew turned around to see a young man wearing a light coloured shirt and shorts navigating his way towards her. She stopped walking, letting the guy catch up to her.  
"Phew, so many wires!"

"Do you need this many wires?" Mew asked incredulously. The man sighed.

"Sadly, yes. Most of the crew won't trust wireless recording kit unless it's self contained, so we have to do it the old way. I'm Secc by the way. I'm the producer of ONBS."

"I'm Mew! Nice to meet you Secc!"

Secc smiled at the girl.  
"Wow, you remind me of my sister. Arceus that makes me feel old. Did you come here on your own?"

"No she did not."  
Cresselia managed to reach the pair, closely followed by Darkrai.  
"I'm Cresselia. Did you say you were Secc?"

"That's me." Secc grinned. "From kid to adult. I would be right in guessing that those names have less to do with choice, huh?"

Cresselia closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "You... Could say that..."

"We'd rather you didn't flaunt that insight of yours if possible," Darkrai told Secc, "Not that many people would believe you, but all the same."

"I hear you," Secc nodded, "So why are you here?"

"Actually, we were just passing through. We're on our way to the ranch of the man named Ardos."

"Ardos... Ardos... I tell you what, I'll go phone one of my old friends. He'll know where Ardos lives. Meantime..."  
Secc looked around.  
"Well, why don't you have a go on the stage?"

"Oh! Oh! Cress! Do some singing!"

"Mew... You know I don't like singing for crowds..."

"But you won't be singing for a crowd. There's only four or five people here." Darkrai pointed out. Cresselia sighed.

"Fine. Move over, I need to get through first."  
Cresselia navigated the wires and pulled herself up onto the stage.  
"So... What do I sing?"

"Do the one about the Knight!" Mew shouted. Cresselia sighed.

"Alright then, the Song of the Soul."  
She coughed once, closed her eyes, and began singing.

* * *

"Cress! Cress wake up!"

"Whazzat buzzy... Gimme a minute fur mah furrnd."

"Cresselia! You're on TV!"

"What!?"  
Cresselia bolted upright in her bed. The walls looked like they had been but together in a rush, and the paint job was peeling. But there was a working television on the wall opposite her bed, and it was on.  
And Cresselia was on the screen.  
Soft, soothing sounds floated out, which most mortals would never hear. Tale of a man who sacrificed himself for peace, sung in a language older than Time.  
And it was on regional TV!  
"Oh Arceus, oh Arceus, oh Arceus."

**Indeed. Oh me. Oh my.  
**The TV screen flickered to Arceus.  
**Go back to the TV studios. Now.  
**It flickered off

Cresselia checked the door and got out of bed, changing her clothes into something slightly less remarkable.  
"I hope no-one's tried anything funny."

"Furret! Use Quick Attack!"

"Protect!"

Cresselia stepped outside to be greeted by Darkrai taking on Cail in a Pokemon battle. She sighed.  
"I really can't leave you alone, can I?"

"He insulted you! I will not stand for it! Hit 'em with Comet Punch!"

Darkrai's Pokemon was a Ledian, a spirit of a dead pokemon which Darkrai had called upon. It was a tactic most of the legendaries used when they needed to fight, and the Ledian was so far obliterating the Furret. Cail had no idea what he was getting himself into, and now his Pokemon was paying.

"And the newcomer's Ledian takes out the second of Cail's pokemon! Incredible! Ledian's got barely a scratch!"  
The crowd yelled, no-one entirely sure who to go for. Darkrai's hair was shorter than it would normally be, and he wore a black trenchcoat, trousers, and top, with yellow tinted goggles around his neck and a red scarf around his face. Cail was dressed in standard Chaser gear, and more people cheered Cail's name than Darkrai's. Cail snarled.  
"Cail's down to his last pokemon! Will this be the thing that saves him?"

"Go, Granbull!"

Cail's Granbull snuffled and roared, baring it's tusks. Darkrai smirked beneath the scarf.  
"Maybe if you varied your team a little you'd have a better chance against me."

"Shu- Shut up! Granbull, take down!"

"Fly up and dodge it Led!"  
Ledian flew above Granbull's reach, making it stumble and fall on its face.  
"Now! No more messing around! Comet Punch as hard as you can!"

Granbull turned around to see Ledian bearing down on him. He skipped sideways, only to meet one punch coming towards him. Ledian threw another punch at him, catching Granbull a critical across the face. His last punch sent him flying across Battle Square into the crowd. Unconscious, Cail called his pokemon back.

"Granbull is down! Cail has lost the match!"

Cail spat on the ground next to him. Darkrai began walking towards the Chaser at a slower pace than usual. Cail noticed and grinned.  
"Damnit man, you're one hell of a good battler. And that Ledian ain't to shabby either!"

"I get a lot of practice" Darkrai replied, holding his hand out to shake. Cail took it with a grin.

"Hey, if you're ever in town and need someone to ease the boredom with, I'm your man."

"Come on folks, show's over!"  
The crowd turned to watch Johnson walk out into the middle.  
"Everyone clear the centre, there's another crowd waiting and you can all clear off to the coliseum. The crowd grumbled and began moving off to do their various things. Cresselia walked over to the pair standing in the middle.

"I though Darkrai-"

"I've never listened to a threat from a person. Freaky eyes by the way, but since it's early morning and you aren't from in town, I figured I'd catch him outside the hotel."

"Not so much caught as reverse pummelled." Darkrai commented. Cail rolled his eyes.

"Yeah yeah, say it to the cops. Aren't you going somewhere anyway?"  
Cresselia nodded and began walking off towards the ONBS building, waving. Cail tapped Darkrai on the shoulder.  
"She ain't your girlfriend, is she?"

"More like a sister." Darkrai commented. "But I am supposed to be sticking with her..."

* * *

"You three. Oh sweet Arceus you three are incredible. One's walking around pretending to be a legendary Gijinka, one's got the voice and looks of a movie star, and the third's got pokemon that'd give Wes a run for his money. Where did you get pokemon anyway?"

"He's dead. Very few people get chosen to continue past life, and they're all exceptional."

Secc nodded. "So the souls of the blessed fight for the gods. I've heard of stranger ideas. Anyway, here's what I wanted to ask."  
Secc brought up a picture of a poster on the screen behind him. It showed a pokemon and a gijinka fighting intensely inside an arena.  
"We, that is, ONBS, don't just do news. We're currently also on line to cover a tournament that's happening in the next couple of days. But there's been a hitch.  
"Not all the MCs who should be turning up can turn up. One of them's taken deathly ill with something, and we need all four MCs.  
"We'd be grateful if you could be an MC at the tournament, and while you're there one of the judges you'll see knows Ardos personally. Kid named Michael. You help us, and I'm sure we can arrange for us to help you. Might help you get over that fear of crowds you have too."

"Tournament... Of the Ages? I've heard a bit about it." Mew admitted. "Isn't it financed by an ex-crime-boss?"

"Mr Verrich. Ardos is his son."

"So-"

"It's all above board. But one of the other MCs is Miror B. He's... Odd." Secc scratched this head. "Knows the towns Chief of Police too. I think he's judging."

"This all sounds like the potential for a disaster zone." Cresselia slammed her hand down on Secc's desk, "I'll do it."

* * *

_A voice sung a person awake. She was tired, and looked like she'd been running. As she walked outside the house, two people watched her from the other side of the street. One smiled. Both vanished._


	4. Dance with the Dead

A Duel of Legends  
Chapter 3: Dance with the Dead

And so, after a long wait, one holiday, and an annoying admin, I get back on track. Thanks for keeping on board guys, it helps.

* * *

Jack awoke with a headache that immediately made him wish he'd stayed asleep. Whining so quietly that only he could hear himself, the headache got progressively worse as he got up and began to get dressed.  
Jack was a Charmeleon Gijinka. Dressed, (now anyway), in his usual clothes of jeans, a yellow shirt, a red sweater, left open, and a red pair of shoes. His tail slipped through a hole in his jeans he'd had cut especially, fast enough not to burn the fabric. The hungover teen began looking for some kind of drink.

A desk with a letter caught his eye and made him stop the constant noise. The envelope had already been opened, but on the front it simply read, 'To the Competitors'. Flipping the envelope over, he notice someone had scrawled something, but in his current state he couldn't read the scrawl of whoever had added the note. Grumbling, he pulled out the piece of paper inside.

**Since you're probably hungover, all contestants to the main hall. Follow the signs.**

Jack put the letter down and looked outside his door. There were various signs pointing towards various places. Numerous paper ones had also been put up, all saying:  
**MAIN HALL THIS WAY  
-**

"Huh."  
Jack pulled up his sweater hood and began walking in the direction of the arrows, praying for some painkillers.

* * *

"Name?"

"Jack Lee Kyrue."

The person was the **shouty **gijinka who'd been in charge of the group for the first part of the evening, until he'd merged with the group. He'd been a bit **shouty **crude with the group, but with the **shouty **Lopunny he'd had to deal with it was understandable. He was a bit **shouty** odd, but he knew what he was doing.

"Need some painkillers?"

"Please." **Not so bad.**  
Clearing his head slowly of the niggling voice, Jack woke up properly. The main hall was BIG.

The contest was huge in itself. Jack knew that 90% of all humans were trainers in one form or another, and pacifist gijinka were practically unheard of. The tournament had been advertised worldwide, in a manner beyond any that had been done before. With a world of two languages, one of which humans didn't speak anyway, it was possible.  
And the contestants!  
Some must have missed the ceremony, because a part of the crowd had grown new. Groups of friends were forming thick and fast, old ones, new ones, some which would have been impossible otherwise. Jack noticed a Hydreigon Gijinka talking calmly to a trainer, his twin mouths acting as hands to emphasise a point. Charon, **that was it, Charon,** had seemingly just detached from a crowd himself, one person in which was his roommate, **probably,** and another of which he knew personally. Charon waved his hand.

"If you go and chat with people, pretty soon the first stage can start. I'll just go hand this in to the receptionists..."

Jack wandered over to the group. His friend smiled as he came nearer, while other members of the group nodded.  
"Hey Jack."

"Hey Jordan."  
Someone sniggered.

"Jack and Jordan, oh how poetic."

"Shut up Leo."  
Jordan had large, pure white eyes, blackish purple skin, a gem which you could just about see through her top, three fingers that were almost like claws, and fang like teeth. At first sight she was terrifying. But most ghost and dark types were. Sabeleye were no exception.  
"So, Jack, you know who you're supposed to be fighting with yet?"

"Can't say I do. Does anyone?"

"Not even the staff."  
Breeze looked up at a huge wall-mounted screen.  
"It's kept secret until right about..."

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, HUMANS, POKEMON AND GIJINKA. PLEASE ALL TURN TO THE SCREEN ABOVE YOUR HEADS."

"Now."

As one, the huge group looked up towards the ceiling and upper walls. The giant screen flickered to life, catching the attention of those too dumb to fully understand Charon. The Gijinka held a microphone.

"THIS SCREEN WILL NOW BE ON AT MOST TIMES. IT WILL SHOW PAIRINGS, YOUR OPPONENTS, AND THE CURRENT MATCHES. FOR NOW, YOU CAN SEE A BLANK SCREEN."  
The screen hummed as a white patch. It flickered again as pictures of everyone fighting appeared, in two columns. Jack noticed that they were in different colours.  
"NOW, THE TWO COLUMNS WILL BE SORTED ACCORDING TO WHO WILL WORK WITH WHO."

Pictures went through a roulette wheel of options. Pictures in an eye catching style, of numerous people, in various states, lined up. A Klinklang and girl next to a Lopunny and a guy. A Steelix and a girl next to a Gallade Gijinka. A Whimsicott Gijinka and a Glaceon Gijinka. The combinations went on for a good fifty seconds before the last one stopped.

"THERE YOU HAVE IT. EACH AND EVERY PAIRING."  
The screen shifted the pictures. Numerous other screens lit up, with group numbers on all of them, and the names of each person with each picture. Breeze was with someone called Orson, the Gallade Gijinka, which made the group start.

"You have a Steelix?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"TODAY," Charon continued, stopping the chatter, "EACH BOARD LABELS A GROUP. PEOPLE WITHIG GROUPS FIGHT EACH-OTHER. THE BEST FOUR PAIRS GO THROUGH AT THE END OF DAY THREE."  
The boards all flicked to a plain blue background.  
"AND NOW WE'LL FIND OUT WHO'S FIGHTING WHO!"

The boards flicked, and with a whooshing sound (followed by a 'ka-shing!') the days first battles were decided. People scanned them, with varying intentions.

"AND... I'M FIGHTING IN ARENA TWO APPARENTLY. ALRIGHT, EVERYONE HEAD UP TOP, THEN WE CAN GET THE GROUPS FULLY SORTED. IF YOU'RE FIGHTING HEAD THROUGH THE LARGE DOORS LABELED 'CONTESTANTS'. LET'S GO PEOPLE, FIGHTS START IN FIFTEEN MINUTES."

"Well, I've been paired with Charon, I'll see you guys later."  
Leo began walking towards the door, waving. Breeze looked around.

"I wonder where my partner is? I could do with the practice first..."

* * *

"Ah-ha-hai hear you people of Earth! Are you all in the zooone!?"  
The crowd screamed. The man wore purple clothes and had hair like a Voltorb, but he was loved almost universally by people. His name was Miror B. And he lived to rock, on and off the dance floor.  
"Yeaaaaah! That is one heeelll of a vibe! Are you ready for this crazy action?"  
Everyone screamed.  
"Awwwwllright! Let's see who's up."  
The screen split into four, each subscreen with four people on.  
"In my little old corner we have a shocking battle in the Electric Stadium with Leo and Charon versus Jovi and Poppin!"

Down in the arena, Charon pulled a rice-farmers hat onto his head. Leo looked over at him.  
"Do you really need to wear that?"

"I feel like I ought to."  
Poppin turned out to be the Lopunny Gijinka from last night. Charon looked up at the judges stand.  
"Are you ready?"

"I hope so."

"On the count of three, the battle will begin!  
"Three!"  
Charon shifted his hat and looked at a series of jutting pillars by the side of the stadium.  
"Two!"  
Jovi began bouncing on the spot.  
"One!"  
Everyone tensed.  
"Fight!"

Charon threw himself down onto the ground, barely avoiding a bolt of electricity from one of the pillars. Leo launched himself at Jovi, catching the small girl in a critical Crunch. Poppin leapt up into the air, spinning as she went. Charon rolled over onto his back and coughed into his hand once, before spitting fire at Poppin as she came. Unable to dodge properly, she took the flame, which clung to her back. Jovi pulled herself out of Leo's grasp and stepped back, beginning an awkward dance. The rain started.

Charon watched the flame on his brazier dampen down as he pulled himself up, stepping back from Poppin's impact area. He frowned and began his own dance, sending the clouds away and amplifying the sun on the group's heads. His brazier picked up again.  
Poppin smacked onto the ground, catching a huge shock from Leo's Discharge, which hit Jovi at the same time. Jovi started clapping, and Leo bowed.  
"Always happy to show it again."

Charon laughed and threw a ball of goo at Jovi, splattering it on the floor next to her. Leo leapt back, sparking again with another Discharge, shocking both of his opponents. Poppin threw a ball of black energy at Charon's back, sending him flying, as Jovi tapped Leo with a light spark of her own, barely distracting him.

Charon chucked another ball at Jovi, this one slamming into her chest as she touched Leo. The Luxray Gijinka let loose another Discharge burst before hitting himself on the head and grimacing, watching Poppin throw another black ball at him, which he sidestepped so it caught Jovi instead. Jovi yelped and smashed hard into Leo's back, sending both of them flying. Jovi groaned from where she was on the floor.

Seizing the chance, a misty black aura surrounded Jovi at Charon's command, making her scream before she finally collapsed. Leo pulled himself up, only to watch Poppin hit Charon with another Shadow Ball and the smaller boy hit the ground.

Leo panted as he got up, sending a sudden wave of energy at Poppin. The Lopunny girl was still distracted, so as the Hyper Beam hit her she took the full damage. She stumbled forwards and collapsed, leaving an exhausted Leo the only person still conscious.

"The battle has a clear winner! One cool cat indeed, Leo and Charon win their first bout!"

* * *

"Hit him into the air!"

"Hah!"

Breeze and her Steelix had been practicing for a while. Her battle partner, Orson, had come in partway through, and it had been his idea to fight against each-other to learn their moves. Orson signalled for a time out.  
"Wow, you're good."

"STEEL!"

"I think he can deal with most things. Are you both OK?"

"Nothing a good meal and a bit of rest won't handle." Orson replied confidently. Steelix nodded.

"Alright then, let's go get something to eat."

Orson nodded. "If we get the chance, I would like to go back to my room to leave a note for my sister."

"Sure! You do that and meet me at the main entrance."

Orson nodded and ran out the door, leaving the trainer to herself.  
Orson himself was pale skinned with a tall red Mohawk and eyes to match. His elbows had the beginnings of the sharp blades that all Gallade had, with only three fingers, and he wore white trousers and shoes with a red shirt and green hoodie. He'd had his fashion sense questioned before, but like all Gijinka he had a slight urge to dress in clothes that made him look like his Pokemon. His sister was called Anastasia, a Frosslass Gijinka, but they were close despite it, and their room sharing was just further proof of that.  
As he opened the door he noticed a note from her on the table. Apparently she'd gone into the town, but he still scribbled down his own note just in case, before running out to the main entrance. A larger group greeted him – Breeze, along with Charon and Leo with two other fighters. He waved to get Breeze's attention.

"You made it!"

"I wasn't too long, was I?"

"Of course not! It's only one anyway. So where do we go?"

"Let's go to the Big House! I haven't been to the Big House in ages!" Charon exclaimed. Breeze rolled her eyes.

"We always go to the Big House. We went last week."

"Because it's awesome and we get a discount."

"He makes a convincing argument! Let's go" Jordan began walking off, only for Charon to run ahead and take step in front of her. Leo nudged Breeze.

"I'm confused, if he acted so serious during the fight, how can he be like this the rest of the time?"

Jack sighed and patted Leo on the back. "Come on, everyone knows that battling is serious business."


End file.
